Documentary on Franks is nominated for Oscar

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A documentary about Missouri activist and former state representative Bruce Franks Jr. was nominated Monday for an Oscar in the Documentary Short Subject category.

“St. Louis Superman” follows the story of Franks, of St. Louis, who became well known during protests in Ferguson after a police officer shot and killed Michael Brown in 2014.

The documentary is one of five nominated in the category.

Franks served two terms in the Missouri House of Representatives before resigning last spring, citing personal trauma from gun violence and mental health issues.

KTVI-TV reports the film was praised on the documentary circuit, earning wins at the AFI Docs Festival, the Indy Shorts International Film Festival and the Traverse City Film Festival. It also was nominated at the Tribeca Film Festival.

It was directed by Smriti Mundhra and Sami Khan and produced by Meralta Films. It was distributed by Al Jazeera English and later MTV Documentary films.

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